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Leicester to Trowell – UK Rail Journeys
Series 2 Episode 05
In ‘Leicester to Trowell’ my journey continues with the East Midlands Railway from Leicester, via Nottingham, to Trowell. This gets me back onto the original route of Thames Clyde Express.
Please click on a thumbnail to see the photographs that go with the podcast:
Loughborough:
My train passes through Loughborough with the BRUSH Falcon works next door. BRUSH is famed as a major supplier of diesel locomotives. In 1957 Hawker Siddeley buys the BRUSH group of companies. This includes BRUSH Traction.
During the 1960s they build 310 Class 47 locomotives, out of the total of 512 in the class, at the Falcon works.
East Midlands Parkway:
A relatively new station that has many green credentials. However, there is no bus service to East Midlands Airport which is only 4 miles away.
The station is next to the recently closed Ratcliffe on Soar coal fired power station; the last operating coal fired power station in Britain.
Trent:
Trent station closed on 1 January 1968, a victim of Dr. Beeching.
Situated near Long Eaton at the junction of the Midland Railway line from London to Derby and Nottingham, it didn’t serve any community, being simply an interchange.
For many years trains would stop here for people to dine and change train. Those who didn’t want a full meal could get a lunch basket, these could be handed back at a station later in the journey.
Today the track layout is simpler than in the station’s heyday. There are still junctions allowing trains to go to Derby, London, Nottingham and Sheffield but no station.
Beeston:
Our final stop on the journey to Nottingham is Beeston station just over 3 miles from Nottingham. Over half a million passengers use the station in 2023 / 2024.
Nottingham railway station:
I leave the train in Nottingham so that I can catch a train to Sheffield. This brings me on to the Erewash Valley Line, the original route of the Thames Clyde Express.
Nottingham station is a magnificent terracotta building; the quality of the brickwork is stunning.
The architecture at Nottingham receives 4 stars in the Simon Jenkins book Britain’s 100 Best Railway Stations.
Listen to the podcast to hear about the journey from Leicester to Trowell and the story of Nottingham’s magnificent railway station.
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Music:
AKM Music licenses Steam Railway and Summer Island for use in this podcast.
